Constitution of 1857 — Liberal Revolution Transforms Mexico

The Constitution of 1857, drafted by the liberal government of Ignacio Comonfort following the Revolution of Ayutla, established civil rights, freedom of the press, and crucially the Ley Lerdo — which required the Church to sell its vast landholdings (estimated at one-third of all arable land). The constitution also abolished fueros (special legal privileges of clergy and military). The conservative reaction sparked the three-year Reform War (1858–1861). It remained Mexico's fundamental law until replaced by the 1917 Constitution.